ever wonder about the history of local venues? i often do. after a little research on the variety playhouse, i learned it was originally a world war II era movie theater called the euclid theater, open from 1940-1962. although faded, you can still see the movie theater sign on the side of the venue, which is in the picture above. after a long dormant period and a brief re-opening as a movie theater in the 1980s, the variety playhouse as we know it today opened in 1990.

– ryan

variety playhouse

1099 euclid avenue northeast
atlanta, ga 30307
404-524-7354

i saw another pbr painting in east atlanta falling off of a billboard. it looks like i was a little late, but you can still see some of it.

be sure to check out the other murals we found around atlanta in june and august.

– ryan

nasa ended up delaying the shuttle launch this week, so we were able to attend the jónsi concert on halloween after all. the sigur ros singer played at the tabernacle in support of his first solo album. the show was super amazing; we were excited that we could attend! the songs sounded beautiful in the tabernacle and the concert was quite the multimedia experience as well. similar to sigur ros shows, there were lots of changing backdrops to go along with each song. the visuals, sometimes static and sometimes animated, were timed perfectly to the songs, adding to the aural experience.

if you ever have the chance to see jónsi or sigur ros in concert, i would highly recommend attending!

– ryan

it’s been awhile, but i spotted another pbr painting in the virginia highlands. although many of the other pbr murals have been painted over at this point, it was cool to find one i hadn’t seen before!

be sure to check out the other murals we found around atlanta in june and august.

– ryan

who would have thought that a two-piece band featuring a live harp and bass player would be one of the more impressive shows i’ve seen in a long time. on monday night i discovered a great new band called active child opening for school of seven bells. i first heard school of seven bells opening up for m83, so i had a feeling their opening band would be worth checking out as well. i was not let down!

active child is the project of “choirboy-turned-indie pop musician” pat grossi. they play music that sounds like old 80s movie soundtracks, riding the line between dancey and atmospheric. pat’s falsetto vocals were very compelling and at times reminiscent of bon iver or antony and the johnsons. other songs were more in line with old crowded house or joy division, like on their amazing cover of ceremony, a highlight of the night. you can get their debut ep from their website for super cheap or on 10″ white vinyl! it’s totally worth grabbing.

after reading more about active child, i realized i am not alone in thinking they are awesome. npr, pitchfork, and stereogum have already featured these guys.

school of seven bells were very impressive as well! i had talked up the twin sister singers to a friend before the show and was surprised to only find one up on stage. i didn’t realize until after the show that claudia, one of the sisters, had left the band a week before. besides a couple of songs though, you wouldn’t have even noticed. although i definitely would have preferred the dueling female vocals, they still rocked live and filled in the gaps quite well. they played all of the hits i wanted to hear from both of their albums and their encore sounded like a classic mogwai concert with the distortion levels cranked to deafening volumes.

– ryan

on sunday afternoon we packed a picnic and headed up to amicalola falls state park. we soaked in the amazing autumn weather with a nice picnic near the top of the falls! after lunch we headed back to the base and hiked up the mountain for some beautiful views of the falls. although we heard the hike was fairly easy, the numerous switchbacks were definitely tiring. be sure to bring some water and stretch before making the trek.

if you are looking for a peaceful getaway from atlanta, consider the 90 minute drive to this beautifal state park. be mindful though that october is peak season for state and national parks and will be super crowded.

serenity now!

– ryan & gub

amicalola falls state park

240 amicalola state park rd
dawsonville, ga 30534
706-265-4703

at the last minute we grabbed standing room tickets for sundays atlanta braves playoff game. we had a ton of fun, especially in the 8th inning when the braves took the lead. that excitement was short lived, however, as the san francisco giants took back the lead in the 9th and won the game. we were still glad we went to see one of bobby cox’s last games though.

– ryan & gub

ps…this is our 100th post!!!

i had a ton of fun at the recent best coast & cults show at the drunken unicorn. the opening band cults only have a 7″ out, but it’s extremely catchy and they were great live. their song go outside was the highlight of my night.

best coast was also a blast! bethany, the singer/songwriter, was very natural on stage and created a fun vibe throughout the evening. their songs packed way more punch live then they do on the album.

you can download the digital version of cults s/t 7″ here. it’s awesome, so go and grab it!

– ryan

i recently went to harold’s barbecue near turner field for the first time. this atlanta establishment has been serving barbecue since 1947 and is often listed as a favorite in town. i tried the rib sandwich with fries and coleslaw, which were all great. the portions were large and inexpensive, two meals and drinks were under $22 after tax and tip. the ribs weren’t as smoky as i would have liked, but i still enjoyed them. the brunswick stew and pulled pork looked great as well.

harold’s had a lot of character. with red and white checkered table clothes, paper towel rolls on every table, and super sweet tea, harold’s had all the staples of an authentic southern barbecue joint. i wouldn’t say it was my favorite barbecue in town, but i’ll definitely be heading back.

– ryan

harold’s barbecue

171 mcdonough blvd se
atlanta, ga 30315
404-627-9268

we had a great time at the pavement reunion show last week at the the tabernacle. they played all the hits from their entire catalog and sounded amazing!

– ryan